Shaft-tug



(No Model.)

' J. GRAMMER.

SHAFT TUG.

No. 473,624. Patented Apr. 2.6, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN GRAMMER, OF HOUSTON, VIRGINIA.

SHAFT-TUG.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 473,624, dated April26, 1892. Application filed July 16, 1891. Serial No. 399,749. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN GRAMMER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Houston, in the county of Halifax and State of Virginia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shaft-Tugs; and Ido declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description ofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to that class of shaft or harness tugs which areadapted to receive the shaft laterally or vertically, instead of requiring that the shaft be inserted longitudinally through the tug.

It is the object of my invention to make the device more convenient inuse, more secure relative to the harness and to the shaft, and moredurable and less likely to wear or rattle upon the shaft or have toomuchmotion upon upon the back-strap.

lVith these objects in view my'invention consists in the parts andcombinations thereof, hereinafter more particularlyset forth andclaimed.

In order to make my invention more clearly understood, I have set forthin the accompanying drawings means for carrying the same into practicaleffect without, however, limiting my improvements to the exactconstruction, which, for the sake of illustration, I have delineated.

In said drawings, Figure l is a sectional View of a harness or shaft tugembodying my invention, showing, also, a portion of the harness and asectional view of the shaft. Fig. 2 is an outer side view of the same.Fig. 3 is an inner side view. Figs. 4 and 5 are detail viewsillustrating a modification.

In the drawings, A represents a portion of a carriage or wagon shaft,and B a strap secured to the harness-saddle and long enough to extenddown and be secured to the bellyhand strap of the harness.

The shaft tug or loop which constitutes the subject of my inventionconsists of two parts 1 and 2, hinged to each other at their lower endsby the rod or pin 3 and adapted to be closed together and encircle theshaft and when so closed to be held and locked together by a suitabledevice. I have devised for this purpose a spring-catch 20, consisting ofa right-angled plate secured to the section 1, passing through anaperture 2L therein and projecting toward the section 2. The latter hasan aperture 22, through which the catch 20 is adapted to pass, thespring yielding upward for thatpurpose. When the catch snaps down intoplace, its shoulder 23 engages the edge of the aperture 22.

24 is a rigid pin secured to the section 1 and adapted to enter a recessor aperture 25 in the section 2. This pin takes all thelateral strainand prevents the working or sliding of the sections on each other, thusleaving for the spring only aslight direct outward pull. That part ofthe weight of the shaft which comes upon section 2, and which tends todraw downward the upper end of said section, is supported by this pinand by the rod 3.

The section of the tug or loop which lies on the inside of the shaft issomewhat expanded, and consists, as seen from the side, of asubstantially rectangular frame formed of the top plate 5, the two sidebars 6, and the crosshinge bar or rod 3. Extending between the side bars6 and situated between the top plate 5 and hinge-bar 3 are two crossbars or rods 7 and 8. The bars 7 and 8 are offset relative to the sides6-that is to say, their inner faces lie in planes outside of the planesof the inner faces of the side bars 6, so that the strap B, when passeddown inside of the bars 7 and 8 and between them and the shaft, lies ina space or recess between the side bars 6, which keep it in place. Thebars 7 and S are not, however, offset a distance equal to the thicknessof the strap, and the strap therefore serves to hold the section 1 outof contact with the shaft, so that it does not rub or wear the latter.The strap is thus caused to act as a cushion or protector between thetug-and shaft.

Upon the upper cross-bar 7 is hinged a buckle-tongue 9, and on the innerlower portion of the top plate 5 there is arecess 10 for the point orend of this tongue in which it may rest and beheld by the upper part ofthe loop-section 2, which bears against the top plate and end of thetongue and is held. in such position by the spring-catch 20. Any

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possibility of the tongue being disengaged from the strap by the liftingof the shafts or other causes is thus obviated. The tongue 9 is adaptedto pass through one of the holes in the strap B and prevent the latterfrom slipping through the loop. I may also employ an additional bar 00,secured to or formed with the bars 6. WVhen the strap B is passedbetween the bar 00 and the plate 5, the tug will be turnedpartly'around, throwing the bar 3 outward and bringing the projectingplates 5 and 12 inward close to and substantially parallel with thestrap. The section 2 of the loop is not so wide as the section 1 andconsists of the single curved bar or plate 11, terminating at its upperend in a bearingplate 12, which lies fiat upon-the top plate 5 of thesection 1, and when the two sections are closed together covers thepoint of the tongue 9 in its recess 10. The bar or plate 11 may berounded on the inner side, so. as to allow a slight rocking motion onthe shaft, and is preferably covered with leather 13, or analogousmaterial, so that when the tug or loop is closed upon the shaftthisleather covering 13 for the section 2 and the strap B opposite to ittogeth er prevent any metal parts of the tug from rattling or wearing onthe shaft. The covering 13 may have a metal escutcheon e or otherornament embossed or fastened upon it. The hinge 14 by which the twosections are united at their lower ends is provided with a stopshoulder15, which encounters pin 19 and limits the distance to which the tugor loop can be opened. The bar 11 may thus act as an open hook for thetemporary support of the shaft in harnessing and unharnessing.

Instead of the catch 20 the devices shown in Figs. 4 and 5 may beemployed, in which 16 is an elongated or key-hole-shaped opening in theplate 22 of the bar 11, through which the thumb-button 4, carried byplate 5, when turned in proper position may pass. The head of thisthumb-button is eccentrically pivoted on a pin or shaft 17, which passesthrough the top plate 5, so that when turned into one position the headwill register with the hole 16, but when turned into another positionwill lock the sections 1 and 2 together.

The shaft 17 of the button 4 is provided with a pin 18, which movesbetween stops, which limit the movement of the thumb-button to aquarter-revolution. These stops may consist of the shoulders or sidewalls of a quadrant-shaped recess 19 in the front of the bar 5, or pins,shoulders, or other devices may be employed. For instance, the pin maybe fastened in the plate 5, as shown at 30, and the shaft 17 providedwith a shouldered plate 31,Fig. 5.

In using this device the strap is passed down between the bars 6 of thesection 1 in front of the top plate 5 and the hinge bar or rod 3, andbehind or inside of the cross-bars 7 and 8, (and behind the bar 00, ifthe hereinbefore-described position of the tug is desired,) and thetongue 9 is passed through the proper hole in the strap B, according tothe height of the horse and length of the strap. The strap B is thenbuckled to the girth-strap, the shaft laid in the open tug, and theouter hinged plate of the latter, which has been supported by theshoulder 15 while receiving the shaft, is then closed and securedtogether with the tongue 9 by the catch 20. The two bars 7 and 8,situated at different heights. on the strap and engaging the latter attwo points,

hold the tug and shaft in proper place and prevent too much up-and-downplay or rocking of the tug on the strap. The use of the bar as will havestill more effect in thus confining the tug; also, when the strap B isbroken or too short from other cause to attach to the girth it maysimply engage the upper bar 7 and tongue 9, and the girth-strap may beattached to the lower bar 8.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a shaft-tug, the combination of an inner and outer portion hingedtogether at their lower ends, said inner portion being rigid andprovided with the side bars 6, adapted to receive between them theharness-strap, an upper cross-bar 7, having a buckle-tongue, and a lowercross-bar 8, situated between said side bars and adapted to engage theinner side of said strap, substantially as set forth.

2. In a shaft-tug, the combination of an inner and outer portion hingedtogether at their lower ends, said inner portion being rigid andprovided with the side bars 6, adapted to re: ceive between them theharness-strap, an upper cross-bar 7, having a buckle-tongue, a lowercross-bar 8, situated between said side bars and adapted to engage theinner side of said strap, and a third cross-bar 00 above the bar 7,substantially as set forth.

3. In a shaft-tug, the combination of an inner and outer section hingedtogether at their lower ends, the inner section being slotted to formthe stop 15 for supporting the outer section in position to sustain theshaft, and the pin 19, carried by said outer section and situated insaid slot, substantially as set forth.

4. In a shaft-tug, the combination of an inner and outer section hingedtogether at their lowerends, thebuckle-tongue 9, mounted upon the innersection and having its free end adapted to be secured between saidsections, and a fastening device for the latter, substantially as setforth.

5. In a shaft-tug, the combination of an inner and an outer sectionhinged together at their lower ends, the cross-bars and tongue 9 forattaching the inner section to the harness, the catch 20 for securingthe outer section, and the rigid pin 24, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN GRAMMER.

WVitnesses:

WM. LEIGH, HENRY EDMUNDS.

